KAMPALA, UGANDA -National Unity Platform (NUP) President Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine has paid tribute to Lochoto Ambrose Machete, the party’s mobilization chairperson in Kaabong District, Karamoja Sub-region, who was brutally assassinated on the night of May 9, 2023.
Bobi Wine described Machete as a dedicated advocate for change who worked tirelessly despite facing numerous threats and operating in a challenging environment. His death has sent shockwaves throughout the NUP community and beyond.
The NUP leader demanded justice and accountability for Machete’s killing and reaffirmed the party’s commitment to the struggle for a better Uganda. He also criticized the security forces for attempting to cover up the incident by falsely claiming that Machete was a Turkana warrior killed in an ambush.
Uganda has witnessed a disturbing trend of silencing dissenting voices through violence and intimidation in recent years. This pattern of violence and intimidation has been escalating since the 2020 general elections, which saw Bobi Wine and the NUP emerge as a formidable force against the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
In November 2020, NUP’s deputy secretary-general, Francis Senteza, was kidnapped and later found murdered. In December 2020, prominent opposition activist, Yusuf Kawooya, was shot dead in Kampala. In February 2022, journalist, Moses Bwayo, who was critical of the government, was found dead in his home.
The NUP has been a target of this repression, with several members and leaders facing persecution and intimidation. The killing of Lochoto Ambrose Machete is the latest in a string of extrajudicial killings and disappearances of opposition critics in Uganda.
“His sacrifice will not be in vain, and the NUP will continue to fight for the freedom and democracy that he gave his life for,” Bobi Wine said.
